The document summarizes the case study research method. It defines a case study as an in-depth analysis of an individual or small group. Case studies aim to provide rich contextual descriptions rather than generalizable conclusions. There are different types of case studies including illustrative, exploratory, cumulative, and critical instance. Data collection methods can include interviews, observations, documents, and artifacts. Issues like validity, reliability, flexibility, and emphasis on context are discussed as strengths and weaknesses of the case study method.

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Research and Methods in English Studies
(BBI 5201)
Y.M. Tenku Mazuwana Binti Monsor
Ban A. Abdulhafud Hani Shakir Bilal Yaseen
(GS39722) (GS39584) ( GS39550)

2. THE CASE STUDY IN RESEARCH METHOD
A form of qualitative descriptive research that is used to look at
individuals, a small group of participants, or a group as a whole.
Researchers collect data about participants using participant and
direct observations, interviews, protocols, tests, examinations of
records, and collections of writing samples.
 Definition and Overview
Case study refers to the collection and presentation of detailed
information about a particular participant or a small group, frequently
including the accounts of subjects themselves.
A form of qualitative descriptive research, the case study looks
intensely at an individual or small participant pool, drawing
conclusions only about that participant or group and only in that
specific context. Researchers do not focus on the discovery of a
universal, generalizable truth, nor do they typically look for cause -
effect relationships; instead, emphasis is placed on exploration and
description.
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3. Types of Case Studies
 Illustrative Case Studies
These are primarily descriptive studies. They typically utilize one or
two instances of an event to show what a situation is like. Illustrative
case studies serve primarily to make the unfamiliar familiar and to
give readers a common language about the topic in question.
 Exploratory (or pilot) Case Studies
These are condensed case studies performed before implementing a
large scale investigation. Their basic function is to help identify
questions and select types of measurement prior to the main
investigation. The primary pitfall of this type of study is that initial
findings may seem convincing enough to be released prematurely as
conclusions.
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4.  Cumulative Case Studies
These serve to aggregate information from several sites collected
at different times. The idea behind these studies is the collection of
past studies will allow for greater generalization without additional
cost or time being expended on new, possibly repetitive studies.
 Critical Instance Case Studies
These examine one or more sites for either the purpose of
examining a situation of unique interest with little to no interest in
generalizability, or to call into question or challenge a highly
generalized or universal assertion. This method is useful for
answering cause and effect questions.
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5. Identifying a Theoretical Perspective
The most three commonly adopted theories are :
 Individual Theories: These focus primarily on the individual
development, cognitive behavior, personality, learning and disability, and
interpersonal interactions of a particular subject.
 Organizational Theories: These focus on bureaucracies,
institutions, organizational structure and functions, or excellence in
organizational performance.
 Social Theories: These focus on urban development, group
behavior, cultural institutions, or marketplace functions.
Designing a Case Study
 Typically, research designs deal with at least FOUR problems:
• What questions to study?
• What data are relevant?
• What data to collect?
• How to analyze that data?
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6. Method: Single or Multi-modal
 To obtain as complete a picture of the participant as possible,
case study researchers can employ a variety of methods. Some
common methods include interviews, protocol analyses, field
studies, and participant-observations
 Berkenkotter, Huckin, and Ackerman (1988) collected data by
observing classrooms, conducting faculty and student
interviews, collecting self reports from the subject, and by
looking at the subject's written work.
 A study that was criticized for using a single method model was
done by Flower and Hayes (1984). In this study that explores
the ways in which writers use different forms of knowing to
create space, the authors used only protocol analysis to gather
data. The study came under heavy fire because of their decision
to use only one method, and it was, at least according to some
researchers, an unreliable method at that.
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7. Participant Selection
 Case studies can use one participant, or a small group of
participants. However, it is important that the participant pool
remain relatively small. The participants can represent a diverse
cross section of society, but this isn't necessary.
 Often, a brief "case history" is done on the participants of the
study in order to provide researchers with a clearer
understanding of their participants, as well as some insight as to
how their own personal histories might affect the outcome of the
study.
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8. Data Collection
 There are six types of data collected in case studies:
 Documents.
 Archival records.
 Interviews.
 Direct observation.
 Participant observation.
 Artifacts.
 In the field of composition research, these six sources might be:
 A writer's drafts.
 School records of student writers.
 Transcripts of interviews with a writer.
 Transcripts of conversations between writers (and protocols).
 Videotapes and notes from direct field observations.
 Hard copies of a writer's work on computer.
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9. Data Analysis
 Generally, researchers interpret their data in one of two ways:
holistically or through coding. Holistic analysis does not attempt
to break the evidence into parts, but rather to draw conclusions
based on the text as a whole.
 However, composition researchers commonly interpret their
data by coding, that is by systematically searching data to
identify and/or categorize specific observable actions or
characteristics. These observable actions then become the key
variables in the study.
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10. Issues of Validity and Reliability
 Once key variables have been identified, they can be
analyzed. Reliability becomes a key concern at this stage,
and many case study researchers go to great lengths to
ensure that their interpretations of the data will be both
reliable and valid. Because issues of validity and reliability
are an important part of any study in the social sciences, it is
important to identify some ways of dealing with results.
 Multi-modal case study researchers often balance the results
of their coding with data from interviews or writer's reflections
upon their own work. Consequently, the researchers'
conclusions become highly contextualized.
 As is the case with other research methodologies, issues of
external validity, construct validity, and reliability need to be
carefully considered.
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11. Case Study “Strengths”
 Flexibility:
The case study approach is a comparatively flexible method of scientific
research. Because its project designs seem to emphasize exploration
rather than prescription or prediction, researchers are comparatively
freer to discover and address issues as they arise in their experiments.
In addition, the looser format of case studies allows researchers to begin
with broad questions and narrow their focus as their experiment
progresses rather than attempt to predict every possible outcome before
the experiment is conducted.
 Emphasis on Context:
By seeking to understand as much as possible about a single subject or
small group of subjects, case studies specialize in "deep data," or "thick
description"--information based on particular contexts that can give
research results a more human face. This emphasis can help bridge the
gap between abstract research and concrete practice by allowing
researchers to compare their firsthand observations with the quantitative
results obtained through other methods of research.
AND It allows researchers to study the complex relationship between
phenomena, context, and people.
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12. Weaknesses
 Inherent Subjectivity
The approach relies on personal interpretation of data and
inferences. Results may not be generalizable, are difficult to test for
validity, and rarely offer a problem-solving prescription. Simply put,
relying on one or a few subjects as a basis for cognitive
extrapolations runs the risk of inferring too much from what might be
circumstance.
 High Investment
Case studies can involve learning more about the subjects being
tested than most researchers would care to know--their educational
background, emotional background, perceptions of themselves and
their surroundings, their likes, dislikes, and so on. Because of its
emphasis on "deep data," the case study is out of reach for many
large-scale research projects which look at a subject pool in the tens
of thousands. A budget request of $10,000 to examine 200 subjects
sounds more efficient than a similar request to examine four
subjects.
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